For Indian shuttlers, it is a precarious situation, where they are struggling to reach the latter parts of the tournaments, but also losing out on crucial Paris Olympics qualification points. Though the qualification period only ends on April 28, it must be admitted, the kind of form some of our top shuttlers are in, it looks unlikely, that they will sail through.
One of them is the women’s doubles team of Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand. At one point last year, the duo were ranked 13th in the world and had made back-to-back semifinal appearances at the All England Championships. But a spate of injuries and inconsistent performances meant the team is not really in the reckoning, as of now, to make it to the Paris Games.
Despite being ranked 22nd in the BWF rankings, they are at the 28th place in the pecking order, to make it to the Olympics. Instead, the relatively new team of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto are well on their way to booking their tickets for Paris; the latter are 11th in the Paris qualification rankings.
Treesa/Gayatri Beat Ashwini/Tanisha @Thailand Masters
It’s not like all is lost for Treesa/Gayatri. We have just entered February, and the German Open, French Open, the Orleans Masters, All England, China Masters, Swiss Masters, and Madrid Masters, still remain. Not to forget the Badminton Asia Championships, which would also be considered as a qualification tournament for Paris 2024.
At 16, Unnati Hooda champion-material for sure, as father focused on improving skill
PV Sindhu at number 16 in World’s highest-paid female athletes 2023 list
Satwik-Chirag, predicament of doubles badminton & the great Indian tragedy
Need to wait & see if next generation after Sindhu & Saina is ready: Aparna Popat
In fact, at the Thailand Masters too, before losing out in the quarters to Kusuma FD and Pratiwi AC of Indonesia, Treesa/Gayatri beat compatriots Ashwini/Tanisha, that too in straight games, 21-15, 24-22.
This only shows that they’re still capable of achieving their target, but consistency will have to come now, or else, just one more early exit could be the end of the story for them, as far as the Paris Olympics is concerned.
